Summertime and rock-and-roll just naturally go together. Maybe it’s the heat. Maybe it’s the skimpy outfits. Maybe it’s just the fact that school’s out. Either way, some of the best (well, most popular) songs ever penned were inspired by summertime, or perhaps just the summertime blues.

So kick back, pop a cold one, and enjoy some summery musical inspiration.

Musical Inspiration: Embrace The Heat With Great Summer Jams

Summertime – DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

OK, we’ll just get this out of the way since you all knew it was coming. Will Smith pumps out some of his best and smoothest lyrics in a song saturated by Jazzy Jeff’s production like a beach bunny is saturated in tanning oil. Slick, cool, and totally laid back – Summertime invites the listener to just chill.

I Get Around – The Beach Boys

There’s no band more closely associated with summer than The Beach Boys, with entire albums devoted to the subject. However, I Get Around is the height of their pre-Pet Sounds pop. It’s Mike Love and Brian Wilson at their creative, offbeat, harmonic best… before any strange “vibrations” started interfering with the band.

Umbrella – Rihanna

Into every summer some rain must fall, as this instant classic from Rihanna amply demonstrated. Besides launching her career, it went overnight straight onto virtually every summertime playlist ever. And it’s well-deserved.

School’s Out – Alice Cooper

Before Gene Simmons, before Marilyn Manson, and before ICP… Alice Cooper was the bad boy of rock, and he’s arguably never been topped. The cloyingly offkey chants of “School’s out forever!” encapsulate school-age summer fantasies better than any of his later imitators ever managed.

Boys of Summer – Don Henley

From its evocative opening guitar strain onward, this ode to summertime crushes and the transience of youth still has power. Listening to it is an invitation to remember the good days, but not through rose-tinted glasses. After all, you can never go back.

Summer brings musical inspiration to plenty of artists, so join in. It’s the perfect time for hot beats and cool lyrics your fans will love!